I still say Joss could launch his own internet 'channel' using limited runs of old and new content created by former and present colleagues, charge a subscription rate for it, and make a mint. :) Well, maybe not a mint. Maybe a good'n'plenty. ;)

cabri | July 19, 08:19 CET

LOL. Also, I don't know if anyone'd mentioned this (I'm not checking into ActIII's thread - still haven't watched it! *sobs*) but Joss is is 6th on Today's Top Searches in Yahoo!

Mirage | July 19, 08:58 CET

I always thought it would be awesome if we took over the CW and made it Joss' channels for shows and what-not. He could even talk to his viewers that way like FDR's time.

But the internet is probably the way to go for all of the Whedon children to play & love.

korkster | July 19, 10:01 CET

korkster Unless you're one of his poor children who cannot afford high-speed internet, and thus cannot watch his new show because dial-up is slower than an elephant running through peanut butter.

Unless I can sweet talk my mother into letting me "borrow" her computer this weekend, there's no way I'll ever get to see Dr. Horrible.

Ah well. Such is life when you're working a minimum wage job, your hours just got cut to less than half, and gas is $4.05/gallon. His Jossness is just not your first priority.

ShadowQuest | July 19, 15:18 CET

Mea culpa: in my rush to post, I didn't do a close enough read of the article and have found that I accidentally self-linked.

What I find interesting is how-- even though there has been plenty of original Web videos previously, and entire sites set up for comedy videos (e.g. FunnyOrDie.com)-- the entertainment media is lauding Dr. Horrible as a watershed moment. Is this an example of short-term memory or secret fandom from the journalism community?

Whedonage | July 19, 15:24 CET

I hear good'n plenty will be double-dating with bait & switch.

fanbuoyant | July 19, 15:34 CET

One thing that struck me while reading this article is that Variety poses the question of how Google can lose money on YouTube as a venture when YouTube's audience is comparable to MTV, ESPN, HBO and the big four networks combined, but it ignores the fact that YouTube's content is produced by amateurs, people who don't really have a stake (money wise) in the content. It's not only non-traditional, it's amateur. So while we can get some genuinely great start up projects and talent, YouTube is largely still populated by people posting videos of their kittens online. Which isn't a bad thing. Kittens are cool.

The media is lauding Dr. Horrible as a watershed moment because it proves that a major player in the Hollywood market can produce something and put together a quality production (with singing, no less!) and make it work. It is the power of Joss, magnified into one big project, which creates buzz for his other projects (Dollhouse, Cabin in the Woods). It shows that it can be done and it can be successful (which quarterlife was not). And it gives people hope, because it means that the Internet can be harnessed and used for creativity that can be quality, and that excites people.

And in another way, I think a lot of media folks see it as being more sincere. Joss did this, and he isn't some media CEO looking to make the big buck off the nextbigthing. He's in it to make something creative and people respond to that, not the saccharine attempts by studio execs to harness the Internet's creativity and fool people into thinking they're "for the people" when they stick in 2 pop ups and an interactive ad for deodorant.

the ninja report | July 19, 16:27 CET

Perhaps Variety would have made a more apt comparison with Al Gore's current.tv which like YouTube features amateur videos, but with fees paid to authors of popular clips which migrate from the web to the current cable tv channel.

fanbuoyant | July 19, 16:57 CET

I'm sure that "his young, tech-savvy fanatical fan base" is the desired demographic but I feel compelled to point out that some of us are quite comfortably middle-aged.
Interesting article. It nicely gathers together all the various efforts being made at the moment.

Lioness | July 19, 23:21 CET

Hopefully we'll get the I-Tunes numbers in so we can start seeing the profit numbers for this. The buzz around the project doesn't equate to financially successful unless people are paying money for it. I'm sure that once you add in DVD revenue it will make back it's money handily.

The question is, even if Dr.Horrible is a massive financial success, does that open the gate for other people to try it. A large part of Dr. Horrible's success is that it is a Joss Whedon production, and more than that, it has two fan-favorite actors in NPH and Nathan Fillion. Managing to create something that could generate the buzz we've seen with this project will be a substantial challenge.

I can't wait to see how it goes :).

rabid | July 19, 23:36 CET